


Straight On ‘Til Morning

by creeptastically



Category: Until Dawn (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Daemons, Canon Compliant, Eventual Happy Ending, F/M, Gen, Josh Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-27
Updated: 2018-01-11
Packaged: 2019-01-06 03:19:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 4
Words: 12,343
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12202860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/creeptastically/pseuds/creeptastically
Summary: “He settled,” she thought as she watched her beloved Ethraduil turn into a fine golden dust.





	1. Prologue

Hannah turned tail and ran with Sinsi right behind her. She didn’t stop to grab her coat, just bursting straight out into the night.

She didn’t stop running until her lungs burned from the effort. she fell to her knees, tears streaming down her face. 

“Hannah,” Sinsi purred. He was a cat now, and he crawled into Hannah’s lap, trying to share warmth. “Hannah please don’t cry.”

“I- I thought,” she hiccuped, scrubbing at her face, “I thought they were my friends.”

“They’re a bunch of jackasses,” he sniffed. Hannah hugged him closer, burying her face in his fur. 

“Not Sam, why didn’t I listen to her?” 

“Because you’re a romantic at heart, but they aren’t worth freezing Hannah.” Sinsi wiggled free, and licked the side of Hannah’s face. His tongue was rough, and she giggled at the feeling. 

“I guess we should head back, huh?” Hannah said, standing up. Sinsi landed agilely on his feet.

“Yes, lets please go back, it’s cold out here.” He complained winding himself around her feet. 

“Well become something warmer than silly,” Hannah told him. There was a moment of silence in the night. Sinsi looked at her, confused. 

“I don’t think I can,” he said. Hannah opened her mouth to respond but was cut off.

Far off there was an unholy shriek. It rattled her bones and she could feel herself grow colder. Sinsi jumped up onto her shoulder, curling himself around her neck. His tail brushed her cheek, grounding himse to her.

“What was that?” He hissed in her ear. His heart was flying in his tiny chest and Hannah felt her’s beat in tandem. 

“I don’t know.” She whispered back. She took a step forward.  
——————————  
“E stand down!” Beth yelled. Her daemon, however, had other ideas, roaring loudly as a tiger. He stalked in front of her friends as a show of dominance. He wouldn’t dare touch them but he would have a good fight with their daemons if they tried to defend their people. 

“It was just a prank!” Jess said flippantly, looking unconcerned. Her daemon, Mosca, gave her away though. He had turned himself into a small sparrow, and was hiding in the crook of her neck. He trembled, appearing visibly frightened by Ethraduil’s display. 

Ethraduil growled and Beth drew herself up. 

“You’re all a bunch of jackasses.” She said harshly. 

“Well maybe if you’re twin would stay off of what's mine-“ Emily started to say but Beth flipped her off. Ethraduil took a snap at her daemon, Gargel. He had inched himself closer, becoming a lion to offset Beth’s daemon’s size. Emily instantly quieted, Gargel falling into step beside her. 

Beth tugged on her jacket, wishing Josh wasn’t a useless pile in the kitchen. 

“You can’t go out there alone,” Sam said finally, but Beth was already out the door.

It was snowing, and a lot colder than she had expected. She’s glad she grabbed Hannah’s coat as well because of course her twin didn’t. Ethraduil fell into step beside her, changing into a more compact snow leopard. 

“Don’t worry we’ll find them,” he assured her.

“I’m not worried,” Beth insisted but he didn’t buy it. Truthfully she was worried, it was dark and cold and there were probably wild animals around. It was eerily quiet, the snow muffling the noise of any nature.

Beth shrieked in surprise when there was a screech in the distance, a light blaring up from far off. Ethraduil startled as well, shifting back into an imposing tiger, and threw himself in front of her.

“Does that look like fire to you, E?” Beth asked him.

“Maybe,” he replied chest rumbling, “let's go find Hannah and Sinsi this isn’t safe.” Beth nodded, eyes transfixed on the spot where she swore she saw flames.

Tearing herself away, she fiddled with her phone, bringing up the flashlight. 

“Look footprints!” 

“Let's go then,” Ethraduil herds her towards them. They quickly picked their way through the woods, everything quiet again. 

When they reached a small clearing, Beth sees Hannah standing in the middle.

“Hannah!” She shouted, breaking into a run. Hannah turned, and seemed surprised to see her.

“Beth?” She asked but Beth doesn’t let her get another word in.

“What were you thinking, it’s so cold out here! I brought your jacket, here!” She wrapped Hannah, who moved slowly as if in shock, up in her coat.

“There, thats better! Hannah are you okay?” Her twin stared back at her. Sinsi had leapt from her shoulders and onto Ethraduil. Ethraduil changed shape again, this time becoming a lynx, another small predator. Sinsi melted on his back, yellow eyes wide and frightened.

“Beth did you hear that-“ she’s cut off by another otherworldly screech. It’s closer this time, and Beth feels her heart kick into high gear when she catches sight of another plume of fire. 

“Run,” she muttered.

“What?” Hannah still sounded dazed.

“Run!” Beth grabb her hand and took off. 

The twins raced through the trees, Ethraduil keeping up easily, Sinsi still clinging to his back. 

There’s another earsplitting scream, and Beth swore she could feel the heat from the flames. 

“Wait Beth slow down!” Hannah shouted.

“Why would I-?”

“Cliff!”

The twins skid to a halt, their daemons sliding beside them. All four faced the trees.

“What is that?” Hannah asked. Beth shooke her head. 

The two grip each other’s hands tighter, their eyes transfixed on the woods. There a bursts of flames and the never ending yell keep coming closer. The group slowly edges back towards the ledge. 

“What do we do E?” Sinsi asks. The two daemons were practically one. Sinsi had flattened himself so completely on Ethraduil’s back You could barely see him.

“I don’t know,” he replied. He moves closer to Beth who buries her free hand in his fur. Hannah does the same to Sinsi.

The next flames were so close and the noise so loud that the creature must have been just out of sight. Everyone took another step back.

“Hannah watch your-“ Beth started to say but it’s too late. 

There was a crinkle of breaking rock and then Hannah is gone dragging Beth with her. Grasping desperately for anything Beth catches a small branch. Ethraduil is scrambling his hind legs to stay up on the ledge, Sinsi still clinging to his back. 

“Beth!” Hannah yelled frightened. She can feel her connection to Sinsi starting to pull. Beth takes a deep breath.

“It’ll be ok.” 

No sooner are the words out then a jet of fire flies over their heads. This screech was worse than the others, Beth could feel the sound vibrating in her skull. The branch cracks a bit. 

Suddenly there’s a hand reaching for them.

“Come on and take it!” A gruff voice commanded. Beth sees a bird daemon desperately trying to lift Sinsi up with her, but it’s too late. 

The branch cracks, and the girls fall. The sudden and sharp pain of the distance makes Ethraduil lose his grip and the two daemons go tumbling after them.

Beth barely registers the excruciating pain when her back snaps in half on the rocks below. Her eyes are stuck on her falling daemon. Why didn’t he just turn into bird and land better, why didn’t he try to save them?

The two slam into the ground and all Beth can hear is her own screaming and the thud of bodies as they come tumbling to a stop. 

“He settled,” she thought as she watched her beloved Ethraduil turn into a fine golden dust. 

Then it was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! This will be a loose retelling of Until Dawn except everyone has daemons. Daemons are an animal representation of your soul and the concept comes from His Dark Materials. That’s really the roughest version of that I can give you.
> 
> This fic will follow canon but I’m hoping to expand upon everyone’s relationships and give Josh a better ending as well as change some things here and there. It’s everyone lives, except Hannah and Beth obviously, so don’t fret.
> 
> I know this is a dying fandom but I hope to have fun with it either way!


	2. Remember to Live

Sam sat alone on the bus, Caedmon nested on her lap. 

It had been two years since her best friend and her twin sister had disappeared into the night.

Sam remembered how tired she was that night and how angry and worried. When she closed her eyes, she could still see the way the forest changed colors as dawn had crept over the mountain. She had looked over at Caedmon where he had perched next to her. He had looked older, like how she felt.

Josh had invited them all up to the lodge again. His video was personal and she felt her heart clench every time she watched it. Josh had seemed off, like he wasn’t sleeping, and Anselm had prowled in the background. His antlers had cast weird spindly shadows on the walls of the lodge. Sam wondered how long he had been there by himself and wished he had invited her to go with him. No one should grieve alone like that. 

The bus lurched to a stop, pulling Sam out of her own head.

“Looks like it’s our stop Caed,” she said. He fluttered up to perch on her shoulder, feathers puffed. 

“It’s cold,” he complained.

“It’s winter,” she replied. She grabbed her backpack and waved to the bus driver as she clambered off. Caedmon noddded to the driver’s rat daemon that was curled on his lap.

The two faced the mountain. It was daunting but beautiful to look at. 

“We got here a lot later than I wanted to,” Sam commented.

“I think it was the storm, slowed the bus line down,” Caedmon said. The pair started towards the cable car, Caedmon swaying as Sam walked. 

“Well it’s creepy here in the dark.” There was a crack, like a stick was being stepped on to their right. Sam immediately whipped around to face the direction of the noise. A shadow lurked outside of her line of sight.

“Do you see that?” She asked him.

“There’s nothing there Sam, can we please go, I’m not made for this,” he whined. He scooted himself closer to her head for warmth. Sam rolled her eyes, forcing herself to forget the shadow. 

“Fine, but don’t expect me to lug you around if something comes chasing after us.”

The snow was fresh, but Sam could see the signs of one of her friends and their daemons having passed this way. It wasn’t long until they reached the gate. On it was a note from Chris.

“What do you mean the gate’s busted?” Sam said. She rattled the gate in frustration. Caedmon took off from her shoulder, and landed on top of the stone wall.

“Looks like you’ll have to climb it!” He shouted down to her. She stuck her tongue out at him.

“Easy for you to say!” She shouted back. 

She went to look at the ill kept wall. She wished she had brought gloves because the rocks of the it were freezing and covered with snow. It was a good thing she was an amatuer rock climber because otherwise she didn’t think she could make it up there.

“You know, I don’t know how Chris did this all by himself.” She commented once she had pulled herself up to the top.

“Adrastos probably helped out, she’s not settled right?” Caedmon watched as Sam dropped down the wall. He waited until she landed before fluttering down to her shoulder again. 

“I don’t think so, she wasn’t when we saw them in August,” Sam answered, setting off once more.

It wasn’t far from the cable car station now. Sam took her time, still feeling like she was being watched. 

“What’s that on ground?” Caedmon asked. He flew over to an object roughly the same size as himself. Sam walked over to where he landed.

“I’m not sure,” Sam told him. She picked it up, It was wooden, and looked like a small carved totem pole. 

Suddenly she saw a small bird on a table. It wasn't anyone’s daemon, just a normal bird. Jessica and Mike ran around it with snowballs in hand. They whipped them at each other, laughing loudly. The bird took off and flew away after a snowball narrowly missed it. 

“Ahhhh!” Sam shrieked in surprise, and dropped the totem like it had burned her hand. Caedmon flew to her, startled by the display.

“Sam, what happened?” He asked her.

“Didn’t you see that?” She shot back. He shook his head. Sam took a deep breath.

“It was like a vision,” she explained. Caedmon sniffed. 

“Don’t be stupid Sam there’s no such thing as visions. I think the cold is getting to your head.”

“Maybe, lets just hurry and get to the cable car.” 

“Oh good, it’s still freezing out here.”

The pair head off again. The snow crunched under Sam’s boots, and wind whistled quietly through the trees. It wasn't even five minutes before the cable car station came into view.

“Ooh look it’s Chris’s backpack!” Sam exclaimed. She rushed over to it, hoping to find Chris waiting inside the station. She was disappointed when he isn’t in there.

“I’ll do a loop,” Caedmon said and then took off to search the small area from above.

“Chris!” Sam called. There’s no answer but Sam noticed his phone buzzing in the pocket. She promptly zipped it up so it didn’t fall out later. 

“Sam!” A voice shouted.

“Chris!”

—————————

“Tada! Isn’t this the coolest thing you’ve ever seen?” Chris had his arms spread out presenting Sam with a mini shooting range. He deflated a little when he sees her frown. 

“Don’t you think it’s cool?” 

“Not really, why would I want that death machine on my conscious,” she sniffed. On her shoulder Caedmon puffs himself up, looking indignant. 

“Don’t be such a buzzkill Sam,” Chris teased. 

“I’m not, there’s just nothing guns offer that I’m about. You can use it though. Come on, show me what you’re made of, cowboy.” She smirked. Chris winked.

“If you wish, ma'am.”

It had been a long time since Chris had even seen a gun, let alone shot one. 

“You’ve got this,” Adrastos cheered. She was up in the tree as a squirrel, trying to be as close the action as possible. 

Chris took three careful shots and missed them all. 

“Okay Tex, remind me to tell Ashley not to expect any carnival prizes from you,” Sam said. She leaned against the counter, Caedmon flew to get a closer look at the targets. Adrastos chattered with glee and pounced on him.

“Hey!” He protested, feathers fluffing up. 

“Hey yourself,” she said back. She took another swipe at him, tail curling around his neck. Caedmon huffed louder. 

Sam and Chris watched from where they stood, both smiling fondly. 

“Why doesn’t he just change to get back at her?” Chris asked. Sam frowned, looking more withdrawn. He immediately backtracked. 

“Oh I didn’t mean to step on your toes, I just thought…”

“No it’s ok, Caed just hasn’t changed since that night. We’re settled now.” Sam smiled sadly.

“Well he suits you. Should have known our pacifist Sammy was going to be a dove.” Chris grinned cheekily. Sam rolled her eyes and gave him a shove.

“He’s a pigeon you ass!” 

“Whatever you say Sam. Look our ride’s here!”

Adrastos switched to become hare and bounded after Chris. She jumped then switched again, landing as ferret to curl around his neck.

The four made their way to the front of the cable car station. Chris produced a key and unlocked the door with ease. 

“Oh and how did you get the honor of being a keyholder?” Sam asked playfully. Chris winked.

“Just got to know the right people,” he said as he held the door open. Adrastos giggled and Caedmon rolled his eyes.

The cable car shuttered to a stop, swinging slightly. They clambered in, and it swayed even more from the weight. There was another grinding noise before it slowly started back up, and the group was off. 

“Ugh, I know it’s just a cable car but I was kind of hoping it would be warmer, you know?” Sam rubbed her hands together trying to generate heat. 

“You should have worn more layers. Always be prepared, the boy scout motto.” Chris gave her the salute but she made a face. 

“I hope this is the right idea, going up there and seeing everyone. Josh seemed so excited in the video, but…” she trailed off.

"He was also really off though and Anselm was unusually restless.” Chris picked up.

“Exactly, and I can’t believe his parents let us come back up here again. It all just seems too soon.” She bit her lip. Caedmon cuddled closer to her. Chris felt Adrastos’s nails dig into his shoulder. He took Sam’s hand, and used the other to scratch his daemon’s head for comfort. 

“You know how Josh is, he’s just going to do what he wants anyways. I think it’s good to be here for him, and I also think it’ll be good for us to see each other.” Chris squeezed her hand. Sam gave him a small smile. 

“And we’re gonna party hard,” she added. 

“Like pornstars!”

They all laughed.

——————————

Jess fiddled with the letter in her lap, Emily’s name was written in loopy cursive on the front. She was waiting for Mike. Mosca was putting his nervous energy to use. He raced through the snow as an arctic fox, and was digging up piles of snow only to jump into them. 

This mountain gave her the creeps, it always had, even more now that Hannah and Beth were gone. Mosca, as always, fed off of her energy. It made him anxious and jittery. 

Jess swung between feeling guilty and feeling resentful all the time. Maybe she shouldn’t have played that prank. Maybe Hannah shouldn’t have overreacted, Maybe she should have followed her out. Maybe Beth should have stayed in. Maybe maybe, maybe. Mosca switches rapidly with her mood, becoming a hare, a mouse, a deer and back to fox again. 

Jess sighed. She wished Mike would get here already. The doofus was a perfect distraction for her. He wasn’t half bad to look at either. Mostly though, he settled her nerves. Mike was sure about everything he did, and his confidence was contagious. 

Jess was startled out of her thoughts by some pounding on the door in the cable car station.

“Hey! Hey! Is anyone out there?” Chris yelled. 

“Hello!” Sam called.

“Oh my god, you’ve got to be kidding me.” Jess rolled her eyes and strolled over to the door. She left the letter lying on the bench.

“Jess!” They both shouted in surprise.

“What are you dips doing in there?” She crossed her arms. People thought she was stupid but she at least managed to open the door on her own when she came up.

“We thought we’d fancy spending the weekend in the cable car, we wanted you to tell the others,” Chris joked. Sam elbowed him in the side.

“The button is busted, do you think you can let us out?” She asked. Mosca became a gecko, and crawled over the glass, peering curiously at the four stuck inside. 

“What do you think Mos?” Jess asked him. From inside Caedmon takes a sharp peck at where he clings to the glass. Adrastos morphed into a cat and pounced at him. Mosca launched himself from the window, and changed into a sparrow mid fall. He landed on Jess’s shoulder without a feather out of place.

“I dunno,” he weighed in. Jess clicked her tongue.

“If Mosca is unsure-”

“Please,” Sam begged.

“Well since you asked so nicely.” She reached over and clicked the button. Chris tumbled out and onto the ground. Adrastos was right behind him, leaping at Mosca, who took off immediately. 

“I’ve got him!” Adrastos crowed. The two daemons romp in the snow, changing form rapidly. Caedmon went to join them, but had trouble keeping up with their changing forms. 

Jess leaned over to look at Chris.

“Having trouble down there?” She asked him, eyebrows raised.

“Not at all, I’m exactly where I want to be,” Chris replied. Jess rolled her eyes again.

“Wow, I forgot how amazing this view was!” Sam exclaimed, leaning over the railing on the mountain side. 

“Amazingly boring,” Jess added. Sam shot her a withering look. 

“Don’t be such a killjoy.” 

“I’m not, it’s just all white. Snow is boring.” Sam sighed but let the subject drop. 

“Hey, why are you writing a letter to Emily?” Chris asked. The girls whirled around to face him.

“Chris,” Sam scolded, but Jess had already stomped over. 

“None of your business,” she snapped and snatched it out of his hands. She worried that it was too wrinkled to give now. Emily was very particular and Jess was trying to make this as heartfelt as possible. 

“Jeesh sorry, when is her highness getting here anyways?” Chris asked. “I’ve got to prepare myself for the imminent catfight.” Jess scowled at him.

“I don’t know,” she said. She tried to play it off like she didn’t care. 

“Are you guys still fighting?” Sam asked. Jess shrugged, but let Sam give her a gentle squeeze. 

“It’ll work out I’m sure,” she reassured her. Jess wasn’t sure it would though.

\-------------------------------

“It’s freezing up here, I can’t wait until we get to the lodge,” Emily griped as she slung her small bag over her shoulder. Her daemon Gargel was curled up in her pocket as a snake, hiding from the cold. Matt grabbed their bigger bags. Olesia, his daemon, was a german shepard and kept pace with him easily. 

“I’m sure Josh has kept it warm for us,” Matt said, feeling optimistic. Josh wasn't the most considerate host and also a pretty forgetful person. It was always good to look on the bright side of things, though. At least that's what he was trying to do. Emily was a different story.

“He better have or I’ll wring his neck, dead sisters or not.” She declared, kicking at the snow. 

“God Em, be a little sensitive.” Matt told her. Olesia gave him a look. There were some things you didn’t say out loud, and Hannah and Beth being dead was one of them. 

“I’m just saying,” Emily said. They hiked a little farther up. Matt felt uneasy, like everything was too quiet. 

“This is creepy,” Emily said, as if reading his mind. 

“You can say that again,” Matt agreed. They walked into the dark bridge. Olesia’s ear twitched, and she started to growl. 

“What’s wro-” Matt started to ask and then Mike and his daemon burst out from the trees.

“Ahh!” He yelled. Camelai landed on Olesia’s back, and used her monkey paws to hold get a good grip on her fur.

Emily shrieked, and Gargel immediately sprang from her coat. He morphed into panther and growled long and low. 

Matt dropped the bags, and jumped back. Olesia spun in circles to snap at Camelai.

“Mike you jackass!” Emily yelled. Gargel swiped to get Camelei off of Olesia. Mike wheezed with laughter. Matt felt his heartbeat start to slow.

“What the fuck man,” Matt said. 

“You should have seen your faces! It was priceless!” Mike clapped his hands. The three daemons tussled on the ground. Camelai was as gleeful as her person, but the other two were more irritated.

“That was not funny Monroe,” Emily said harshly. She held her arms out for Gargel who responded instinctively. He bounded into his person’s arms, settling in as a small breed of dog. Emily stroked his head with affection.

Matt found Olesia back at his side as well. She scampered up his leg as a rat and sat on his shoulder. 

“It was just a joke Em, lighten up.” Mike said. Camelai also changed into a dog, and was dancing around Mike’s ankles. 

“Just a joke? As if, you did that on purpose,” Emily spat. Matt put an arm over her shoulder and pulled her close, feeling protective. He didn’t want this to devolve into a fight.

“Look, Mike, can’t you just apologize?” He asked. Mike held his hands up in surrender. Camelai laid down at his feet, giving them impressive puppy dog eyes. 

“Okay okay, I’m sorry for scaring the shit out of you guys,” he said.

“Whatever,” Emily replied. Gargel looked equally unimpressed by Camelai’s display of guilt. 

“Thanks Mike,” Matt said. He stepped forward and offered Mike his hand. Mike took it, his grip firm. 

“Now, I’m going down to the cable car station. Catch you guys later!” Mike waved, and Camelei bounded after him. 

“That was random,” Matt commented. Emily shrugged. 

“Do you mind if I meet you at the lodge?” She asked him. 

“And leave me here with all the bags?” He teased. 

“Yeah, I really need to tell Sam something important before she gets up there. It slipped my mind but it's super important,” She bit her lip looking unsure. Matt smiled. 

“No problem, but you owe me one,” he said pulling her close again. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek. 

“Thanks babe.” She turned to go down the path, her daemon still in her arms. Matt watched her go, feeling warm.

“I hope they’ll be safe,” Olesia said softly. Matt shrugged. 

“Emily can take care of herself just fine.”

\-----------------------

Ashley thought the binoculars were really neat. They were freezing and a pain to use but still interesting. 

But Leifel was not as easily amused.

“Come on Ash, do we have to be out here instead of inside the lodge where it’s warm?” He whined. He was scurrying around the post as a chipmunk. He would sniff at twigs and investigate them thoroughly before moving on to another.

“Don’t be such downer Leif, the forest looks great this winter.” She swung the binoculars in different direction. “What do we have here?” 

“What is it?” Leifel asked. He changed into a lemur and climbed his way up to yank the binoculars away from Ashley. “Let me see!”

“Hey, not cool!” 

“Isn’t that Gargel and Camelai having a stare down?” Leifel looked at her quizzically. 

“With Emily and Mike, yeah. I wonder what they’re doing down there,” she frowned. She had thought they had broken up a couple months ago.

“Hey there!” A male voice shouted. Ashley jumped and turned to find the source. Leifel, clung to her tightly. 

“Matt! You scared me!” She whacked his arm in irritation. Matt chuckled. 

“Sorry Ash I didn’t mean to startle you.” Matt smiled. She spied Olesia hiding in his jacket collar. Leifel focused on her but didn’t say anything, Olesia was notoriously shy and hard to get talking. 

“Well you did, you jerk," she said.

“How’s the view in that thing? See anyone we know?” Matt asked her. Ashley bit her lip. 

“You’re not going to like it,” she warned. 

“It can’t be that bad,” he reasoned, bending to take a peek through the lens. 

“I dunno, I think, maybe, private conversations should be private. After last time you know?” Ashley hugged herself. Leifel ran his paws through her hair comfortingly. Matt took a step backwards, looking chastised. 

“That's fair, I guess,” he admitted. 

Ashley didn’t like to think about their role in the prank with Hannah but she couldn’t get over it. Her and Matt were tucked giggling in the closet, shushing each other hurriedly. She had been more than a little tipsy at that point but still, it was cruel. She still remembered the hurt look on Hannah’s face when they fell out the door. Sometimes it kept her up at night, it was the last time she saw her friend.

“Lets just go the lodge,” she suggested. Matt nodded in agreement. He swung an arm over her shoulder, carefully avoiding touching Leifel on the other side. 

“You want to help me carry my bags?” He asked. Ashley snorted.

“As if, Taylor.”

\-------------------------------------

Jess startled when a snowball burst above her head. Mosca jumped as well.

“Who’s that?” She shouted, sounding irritated. Mosca became a bear, and stuck himself to Jess's side.

“This is the cops, come out with your hands up!” Mike came into view,, Camelai at his side. Jess rolled her eyes and stowed her letter to Emily in her backpack. She put her hands up and started walking towards Mike

“Please don’t shoot officer, I didn’t do anything wrong!” She pleaded. Mike smiled at her and Jess grinned back coyly. She grabbed some snow when she walked behind the pillar and approached Mike. Mosca became a golden retriever, and trotted after her.

“The only way you're getting out of here is in handcuffs. Unless you want to convince me otherwise,” Mike teased. She looked up at him, fluttering her eyelashes. Mosca and Camelai greeted each other with face licks, both of their tails wagging. 

“What do you want me to do?” Jess asked innocently. 

“Well...” Mike started to say, but Jess threw the snow at him before he finished. She ran to hide behind the table. Mike spluttered for minute before laughing.

“Oh I’m going to get you for that!” 

"Unfair!" Camelai yelped and pinned Mosca to the ground. Mosca laughed.

The four ran around the clearing, throwing snowballs at each other. Jess didn’t know why Mike even bothered, he knew she was a better shot than he was. She spied Mike behind a pole. A bird was on the table in her line of sight. She threw the snowball and narrowly missed the bird. It took off and the snowball hit Mike, who groaned. 

“Who should surrender now?” Jess taunted. Mike tackled her and they both fell into the snow laughing. Their daemons still chased each other around, happy to be together again. 

“I guess I win,” Mike said, and rubbed their noses together. 

“Sure, sure.” Jess smiled and leaned up to kiss him. Mike kissed her back easily and Jess used that to hit him on the side of the head with more snow. 

Mike moaned and rolled off from on top of her. Camelai laid on top of him. Jess giggled, and stood up.

“So I win?” Jess asked. They all looked to Mike.

“You win,” he agreed, “All hail Jessica, the Snowball Queen.” Jess smiled. Mosca came and butted his head against her hand. 

This trip might turn out okay after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The chapter title is supposed to be the opposite of memento mori, so there you go.
> 
> There was so much to write! It took forever it felt like, this is a challenge there are just so many characters to juggle. I'll write a scene and then realize I haven't heard from anyone's daemon in ages, so I go back and write them in xD
> 
> I hope you like all the daemon names! Caedmon and Anselm are my favorites but honestly I love all of them. I'm really excited to write Josh next chapter! You have no idea I am so excited!!!!!!!! I have everyone's settled daemons mostly worked out. For the record only Josh and Sam are settled right now and both of them settled on the night the twins disappeared.
> 
> Alright enough rambling, any questions just ask! See you next month probably!!


	3. Light of Compassion

“This mountain gets worse every time I come here.” Chris joked.

“Then you must be real sick of it after all the years, cochise.” Josh remarked with a wiry smile. Chris smiled back.

“Never,” he vowed. Sam laughed softly. The three and their daemons were making the last trek to the lodge. Sam and Chris had run into Josh as he made his way to the cable car to greet people.

To the side Adrastos hung off Anselm’s neck as a koala and Caedmon was perched in his antlers.

“It’s so good to see you,” she gushed, running her claws slowly through his fur. Caedmon cooed softly.

“It’s been far too long my friend,” he added. Anselm stayed quiet, only blinking slowly in response. Adrastos took it in stride though, and clung only tighter.

“Hey guys!” Josh said. Ashley and Leifel were huddled on the steps, Leifel as a house cat. Matt stood next to the railing, Olesia hiding out of sight. They all turned towards the approaching party.

“Did everyone get here all right?” Josh asked. Ashley shrugged.

“It was ok. I’m really happy to be seeing everyone again, though.” She smiled shyly at Chris. Sam nudged him forward, and he shot her dirty look. Adrastos was torn between showing off for Leifel and leaving Anselm’s side. But Olesia moved out of hiding before she could do either. Still a mouse, she scampered over to the other daemons and clambered her way up to the top of Anselm’s head.

“It was fine,” Matt answered watching Olesia closely, “Is Emily with you guys?”

“Sorry, we didn’t see her,” Sam said. Matt frowned but didn’t push the issue. Josh smiled.

“She’ll catch up. Let’s get this party started guys!” He smiled at everyone and then motioned Chris to follow him to the door. Adrastos stayed behind with Anselm and the other daemons. The boys weren’t going very far.

Chris found Josh fiddling with the handle.

“Hey man,” he said, “I think it’s frozen shut.”

“Weren’t you just up here?” Chris asked him. Josh had only met them on the trail, he couldn’t have been out of the house that long.

“Nah, I was out in the woods.” Josh waved him off. Chris frowned. Josh shouldn’t be out wandering the woods, it wasn’t safe.

“Hey, I’m really sorry about your sisters,” he started to say. Josh visibly stiffened and Chris faltered a little. “I just mean that…”

“I don’t really want to talk about that this year, ya’ know?” Josh said. He shrugged and looked over to Anselm. The daemon tossed his head uncomfortably, causing Caedmon and Olesia to flee. Chris took a deep breath and then pressed on.

“I want you to know we’re here for you, that’s all.” He patted Josh’s shoulder awkwardly. Josh almost flinched. Anselm tossed his head again, still agitated.

Adrastos appeared at Chris’s side, she was a dog now. She stuck her head under his hand suggestively. Chris pet her, drawing comfort from her presence.

“Thanks, cochise,” Josh said somberly and then he brightened. “Now let’s go break into my house. I’m sick of being in the cold.” He pushed past Chris and started to head around the side of the house. Anselm trotted over to his side, and knocked his horn gently on the side of his head. Chris chuckled.

“I’m not sure it’s breaking in if it’s your house!” He shouted after them. He clambered down the stairs.

“We’ll be back in a minute!” He told the others.

“You’d better be!”Sam and Ashley called. Chris gave them a thumbs up and then ran to catch up with Josh, Adrastos on his heels.

When Chris caught up with him, Josh was fruitlessly trying to use Anselm as step stool to reach the window. Chris laughed.

“Hey let us do it,” he told him. He looked to Adrastos, who immediately became an elephant.

“Here we go!” She said and scooped Chris up with her trunk. Josh clambered out of the way, Anselm skittering after him.

Chris toppled through the window and hit the ground with a thud. Adrastos turned into a weasel again and scampered through after him.

“Ow,” he groaned. Josh laughed from outside.

“That’s what you get for being a show off!” He yelled. Chris got up and stuck his head out. Josh was right below him and he snatched his hat in retaliation.

“Take that!”

“Hey!” Chris backed away from the window as Anselm put his head through it. The daemon huffed but didn’t say anything. Adrastos took the hat and scampered over to him.

“You’re going to have to come and get it from me, Anselm.” She teased. Anselm huffed some more. Josh climbed on his back again and put his own head through the window.

“Come on man, give it back,” he pouted. Chris grinned and jammed the hat on to his head.

“I’ll see you on the other side, bro!” He said and turned to go into the rest of the house. Josh groaned but didn’t call after him.

Chris thought the house was cold, like really cold. Josh had been up here for a couple days, hadn’t he turned on the heat at all?

“Hey, Ad, can we get some night vision in here?” Chris asked.

“Sure thing,” she replied. She became a raccoon. She scurried over to a cupboard and used her hands to pry it open. Chris rolled his eyes.

“What are you doing?” He asked her.

“Looking for light obviously,” she replied.

“I think you’re just snooping,” he said. She shrugged and dug around inside.

“Aha and look it’s paid off! I’ve found an article!” She scampered out and presented the scrap of paper to Chris.

“There was an arson?” He asked. Adrastos leaned over to look at it herself.

“At the old hotel it looks like,” she added. Chris frowned.

“That’s weird, I wonder why it was laying around here?” Adrastos shrugged again.

“Who knows. Oh, what’s that over there?” She ran over to another pile of junk and started to bury herself in it. Chris noticed a wooden figure on the ground. He picked it up, curious.

There was fire everywhere. Emily was screaming, but he saw Gargel hissing at something out of sight as a large lizard. He was fading slowly into golden dust. Emily’s cries were cut off, and she was thrown into view. Her body was fried. Gargel was gone.

“What the fuck was that?” Chris shouted. Adrastos went to his side immediately.

“What was what?” she asked, sounding concerned. Chris grabbed her and pulled her close, trying to calm down.

“I think I saw Emily die,” he gasped. Adrastos twisted around to face him.

“What do you mean saw her die?” She asked. Chris took a couple deep breaths. The image of Emily on the ground, some of her skin charred black and other parts burned raw was seared into his mind.

“She was dead, there was a fire and Gargel was gone.” He tried not to panic. Matt hadn’t seen Emily since they got here. No one knew where she was.

“I bet Emily is fine,” Adrastos said. She changed back into a panther. “You’re probably just tired.”

“I guess,” Chris mumbled. Adrastos bumped against him.

“Come on let’s break open the door,” she said.

“Okay, okay. Yeah let’s go do that.” Chris sighed. He let Adrastos lead him through the dark house. In no time they were at the door.

“Alright,” Adrastos turned herself into a gorilla, “let do this!” She tugged the door open easily.

“Oh thank god, I thought I was gonna freeze out there.” Ashley said. She and Sam walked inside, both of their daemons on their shoulders. Chris saw Caedmon whisper something in Sam’s ear, but she just rolled her eyes.

Matt walked in next, Olesia once again out of sight. Then came Josh with Anselm right behind him. He snatched his hat off of Chris.

“Wow, it’s cold in here! I’m gonna see if I can get that fire going.” He went over to the the fireplace and started to fiddle.

“You’re not going to touch the heat?” Sam asked him. She bent down to watch him work. Chris saw him smile up at her.

“Now Sammy-bird where’s the magic in that?”

Chris went over to where Matt dropped his bags.

“No Emily still?” He asked. Matt shrugged.

“I’m not concerned, she probably got held up looking for something. She’ll make her way here in no time.”

“Okay,” Chris agreed. He was still nervous, though. He couldn’t forget the vision. Adrastos sensed his concern and stuck close to his side.

“What’s up my party people!” Mike shouted. He and Jess came through the door, both of their daemons trotting after them.

“Hey guys, long time no see!” Jess greeted. She went and set herself up on the couch, and Mosca settled at her feet. Mike wandered over to Sam and Josh.

“Having some trouble over here?” He asked.

Chris felt more and more nervous the longer Emily didn’t show up.

“Hey Chris will you come sit with me? It’s so cold in here I can feel my fingers,” Ashley asked.

“Sure Ash,” he answered. He was trying to distract himself from how jittery the anxiety was making him.

“You know this is why we wear gloves,” he teased halfheartedly. Ashley pushed him lightly.

“You aren’t wearing gloves either,” she told him.

“Yeah, but I was smart enough to wear layers,” he boasted. Ashley rolled her eyes. Adrastos batted at Leifel’s tail. The lemur looked down at her.

“What?” He asked.

“Do you want to come play or?” she suggested. She hit at his tail again. He shifted into a chimpanzee to spite her and moved to hang on Ashley’s back.

“I don’t think so,” he replied. Adrastos pouted at him, but he didn’t budge.

“Ugh, it’s so cold in here.” Emily griped, walking in through the front door. Gargel was a large tiger by her side. He shook himself off roughly, spraying snow everywhere.

“Hey!” Ashley protested. Chris didn’t care, though.

“Emily, you’re ok!”

\--------------------------

“Uh of course I am?” Emily said, giving Chris a funny look. Matt walked over and gave his girlfriend a hug.

“Hey, babe, have a good walk?” He asked.

“Perfect,” she replied. She kissed him on the cheek. Olesia peered out from his collar and gave Gargel a good once over.

“You look fine,” she commented. Gargel rolled his eyes.

Over on the couch Jess had a letter in her hands and was clutching it tightly.

“Hey Em,” she called out. Matt looked over at her, wondering what this was about. He didn’t think it could get any colder but the room’s temperature seemed to drop when faced her as well.

“Well look who it is. Little miss princess has graced us with her presence. To what do we owe this pleasure?” Emily’s glare was cold and piercing. Jess wasn’t one to shrink from it, though. That’s why they had been such good friends after all. Matt had a bad feeling about this.

“Cut the bullshit, Em, I just want to talk.” Jess drew herself up to full height, Mosca right behind her. She took a step closer, but Emily was already striding forward. Gargel was hot on her heels, and morphed into an alligator.

“We can’t let them do anything stupid,” Olesia hissed in his ear.

“What do you want me to do?” Matt whispered back.

“I dunno, something!”

“Well go ahead, talk. If you can even manage a thought of your own that is,” Emily said. She smirked and Jess frowned.

“Oh please, isn’t that why we were besties? Because I didn’t just take your shit smiling?” Jess asked. The letter was crumpled now, and clenched in Jess’s fist.

“You sure took some other things of mine, though.” Gargel’s tail lashed.

“Come off it you didn’t even like Mike, it was all just a status play.” Mosca started to growl.

“That’s rich coming from you Homecoming Queen.” Emily spit.

“Em, come on,” Matt pleaded. He edged closer to the argument, but the girls ignored him. Olesia grew even more restless. She scurried down Matt’s shoulder to get closer to Gargel.

“You didn’t even run for that! I asked if you wanted to!” Jess cried. She looked frustrated.

They were shouting now, and the three by the fire finally turned around to see what was going on. Sam looked shocked, and Mike appeared sick. Josh was the worst, though. He looked devastated.

“Because the whole thing was a huge farce. Just. Like. You.” Emily emphasized each word with a point of her finger. Matt sucked in a deep breath.

Olesia shifted to match Gargel, and butted her head against his.

“Please stop,” she begged him.

“I just wanted to make amends, or whatever, but fine,” Jess shoved the letter at Emily, “you can take this you ungrateful bitch.” Emily snatched the letter out of her hands, eyes flashing.

“A confession?” She mocked.

“An apology,” Jess answered, “Come on, Mike, let’s go.” Matt watched Mike practically sprint across the room.

“No problem, Josh was telling me about this cabin he had. We can go there and take a breather.” Mike wrapped an arm around Jess’s waist. Camelai nudged at Mosca.

“Let’s go,” she whispered. Gargel growled and Emily scoffed.

“Go ahead and run away, save whatever dignity you can! At least I still have mine.”

“Please, Em, stop,” Matt asked. He grabbed her arm softly. Emily glared at him. Chris stood up from his place on the couch.

“Emily just let-”

“Can we please quit fighting? This isn’t how this weekend should be!” Josh broke in. He looked tired and sad. Chris went to him immediately. Matt flinched. This was supposed to be about making Josh feel better. He gave Emily another pleading look.

“It’s fine, Jess and I are going to take a breather,” Mike said. He led Jess out the side door, their daemons trotting after them. Emily looked away, guilt written all over her face.

“Come on Matt, I think I left on of my bags at the station.”

“Let’s go get it then. I think everyone could use the fresh air.” Matt took Emily’s hand and led her through the front door. Maybe things would be calmer when they got back.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------

“This cabin had better have its heat on,” Jess grumbled.

“Well first we have to kick on the generator,” Mike explained. The two stomped down the stairs and headed towards one of the lodge’s sheds.

“And you know where it is?” Jess asked him. He shrugged.

“We’ll find it easy,” he assured her. Behind them Camelai nudged at Mosca, knocking him into the snow.

“Will you please,” he barked.

“Please what?” She asked, and wagging her tail. She kicked some more snow at him. Mosca growled at her a bit but Camelai was not deterred.

Jess wasn’t amused either.

“We’d better,” she said. Mike was feeling confident, though.

“Just follow me and all of your dreams will come true,” he said and winked. Jess rolled her eyes but smiled.

“You talk a big game Mike, but how do I know if you can back it up?” She asked.

“You’re just going to have to trust me,” he replied. He kissed her gently and felt when she smiled against his lips.

“Okay, lead the way then hotshot,” she said when they broke apart. Mike took her hand led her down the path, their daemons close behind.

They passed a locked gate as they crunched their way through the snow. The shed was just up ahead. The trail fences were starting to fall a part. Mike thought it was sad Jess went straight for the door. Mike caught sight of something by the woodpile. He stopped and crouched down. It was a wooden face, like on a totem pole.

“What do you think this is?” He asked Camelai, who came and stood beside him. She sniffed at it.

“I dunno,” she said. Mike picked up.

Ashley stood in the dark, Leifel clutching to her back. A dark figure, face out of sight, pulled an arm back and punched her in the face. She hit the floor with a loud thud, and her daemon shrieked. The figure came into view, a disfigured clown mask on his head.

“Mike, are you coming?” Jess shouted. Mike dropped the totem like it had burned him.

“Yeah!” He shouted back, sounding panicked. Camelai bumped his shoulder.

“You okay?”

“Yeah, it was nothing.” He stood up and went into the shed.

The generator was the only thing of significance in there. It took up a good chunk to the space. Jess stared down at it, face furrowed in confusion. Mosca sat on top, changed into a mouse.

“Allow me, my lady,” Mike announced. Jess stepped back.

“It’s all yours,” she said. Mike poked around, Mosca and Camelai watching him closely. He flicked the on switch and gave the wind handle a few tugs. The generator roared to life. Mosca scrambled off the top and into Jess’s arms.

“Boo yeah!” Mike said. He stuck a fist in the air in victory. Camelai howled in agreement.

“My hero,” Jess drawled, but she was smiling. Mike kissed her cheek.

“Come on the cabin awaits,” he said.

They all filed out the door. The walk to the gate seemed shorter than the walk to the shed.

“After you,” Mike said as he held it open. Jess giggled.

“Thank you kind sir,” she said. She practically skipped through. Camelai chased after her, hoping Mosca would would join her.

“Well, someone’s excited,” Mike teased. Jess smiled.

“We get to spend some time alone together,” she said, grabbing his hand, “it’s been ages!”

She led him over a bridge that still gurgled. They trudged through some more snow. Camelai romped happily and Mosca pouted from Jess’s arms.

“Is that police tape?” Jess asked.

“They're from the investigation. They never closed it after all,” Mike explained. The tape mocked him, rubbing in his face that their group was short two members. That he had betrayed Hannah’s trust.

“I miss them,” Jess said quietly. She squeezed his hand and he squeezed back.

“Me too.”

Suddenly there was a loud shriek. Mike’s blood went cold.

“What was that?” Jess asked, clutching his hand tighter.

“No idea, lets just head towards the cabin,” Mike suggested. Jess whacked his arm.

“Nice one track mind,” she said. She let go of his hand walked off.

“Hey!” Mike chased after her. He followed her up a hill and into a small cave. She stomped through the entrance and Mike lost sight of her. Camelai ran ahead a bit, anxious to keep them in sight. Then Jess screamed.

“Jess!” Mike shouted. He ran to catch up. There was a ledge but no Jess.

“I’m down here!” She shouted. He peered over the edge. There she was, looking no worse for ware.

“Are you ok?” He asked.

“Do I look ok? I’m stuck in a mine!” She yelled back.

“Fair point, I’m coming down!” He looked at Camelai, who changed into a snake and curled herself around Mike’s arm.

“Ready!” Mike eased himself off the ledge.

The landing was easier than he expected but Jess was pleased to see him.

“I think if we move that cart we might be able to get out,” she said. Mike walked over the the cart, and started pushing. Camelai and Mosca changed into cattle and Camelai shoved him out of the way. The two daemons moved the cart easily.

“Wow shown up by my own daemon,” Mike joked.

“It’s fine, I still think you’re big and strong,” Jess told him as they followed the daemons.

Inside was the start of the mine shaft. It was dusty and even colder than it was out in the woods. Camelai and Mosca changed back into dogs so there was more room to function in the tight cavern halls.

“You think Josh would have said something about the abandoned mineshaft on the trail,” Jess said disdainfully. Mike shrugged.

“I just hope it doesn’t take us too far off the mark.” He led the way through the shaft. Wood hung precariously from the ceiling, and dirt hung in the air. He could taste it with every breath he took. All around the shaft here old cigars and candles. They looked recent, and it set Mike on edge.

It wasn’t long before they made it to the other side.

“Well, that was creepy,” Jess commented.

“Yeah, I’m done with that,” Mike agreed. He led her further up the path, feeling more and more jumpy.

It was quiet, the only real sound being the crunching of snow under their boots. Mike couldn’t wait until they were safely in the cabin and out of the woods. The trail twisted in front of them. It was a lot farther away from the lodge than Josh made it sound. In no time they were stopped by a fallen tree.

“Jesus, really!” Mike exclaimed, irritated. He wanted to be done with the snow. Camelai nudged his hand.

“Calm down Mike this is nothing,” Jess assured him. She climbed her way to the top of the log. Mosca shifted into a squirrel and scampered after her. Mike watched, worry gnawing at him.

“Be careful!” He shouted.

“You worry too much,” Jess said back and she dropped out of sight. There was silence.

“Jess?” Mike called. More silence. Camelai whimpered.

Then Jess’s scream ripped through the air.

\-------------------------------------------------

“Josh, please tell me you know how to hook up the water in the fancy lodge of yours!” Sam yelled as she stomped down the stairs. Caedmon landed on the last banister and waited for her to catch up.

“Well, someone’s impatient,” Josh teased. He stood at the bottom of the stairs, leaning a little too close to Caedmon than was polite.

“Not impatient, just cold,” she said. Her daemon flew to her side immediately. He looked uncomfortable, but she didn’t bother mentioning it to Josh. He was always bad at boundaries.

“Well the boiler’s in the basement,” he said, “I’ll go turn it on. You wanna come with?”

“Sure.” Caed moved restlessly on her shoulder, but she ignored him. He was a frequent over reactor. Josh smiled, wide and easy going.

“Alright, you two, you should go find that ouija board we were talking about!” Josh pointed at Ashley and Chris.

“Ooh, that sounds like fun! Come on Chris!” Ashley grabbed his hand and started to lead him through to another room.

“I’m just saying there’s no such thing as ghosts,” Chris protested. They disappeared around the corner with Leifel and Adrastos in tow.

“And then there were two,” Josh remarked.

“Let’s go then, I’m dying to get warm again,” Sam said. She let him lead the way towards the basement, the opposite direction of where Ashley and Chris went.

“I could help you with that,” he said suggestively. Sam rolled her eyes.

“You wish.”

They went through the lodge slowly, and Sam took it all in. She had spent a lot of time up here with the Washington’s and Chris. She was sure she knew all of it like the back of her hand. Something about it was different this year, though. It looked darker, seemed shadowier. It was like the cabin knew that Hannah and Beth weren’t here with them and everyone was worse for it.

“Hey Sam,” Josh said, breaking the quiet. Beside him Anselm stilled. Caedmon flew to him almost instantly.

“Yeah?” Sam asked.

“I just want you to know that I really appreciate you coming up again this year. After everything, it’s just… It’s good to have you here,” he confessed. Sam put an arm around him.

“We’re all here for you,” she said softly. He smiled at her again, this time it was small and private.

“Yeah, alright, enough moping. Let’s get you your hot water!” He started walking again. Sam followed after him, jogging a bit to keep up with his longer strides.

They reached the basement door and descended down the steps. She waited for Anselm, who still had Caedmon on his head, to go down first. She didn’t want to accidentally end up touching him. The basement was dusty and even colder than the upstairs. She spotted a baseball bat against the wall. It reminded her of family games during the summer.

“So how do we start this baby up?” She asked. Josh handed her the flashlight.

“Hold this so I can get some of the switches on,” he instructed, “and then after I’m gonna have you increase the water pressure.”

“Gotcha.” She waited until he was done before going over to the other boiler. She turned the dial and the furnace roared to life.

“Awe yeah,” Josh cheered. They high fived.

“Now I can finally get my bath,” Sam said. Then there was a bang. Then another. Then another. They continued, steadily beating but not coming any closer.

“That’s weird,” Josh said. He frowned.

“Should we go check it out?” Sam asked him. He shrugged but walked forward. Sam followed. They walked towards the banging until it was ringing in her ears, when it stopped.

“What the-” she started but then a man jumped out.

“Boo!”

Anselm shrieked, the first noise she had heard him make in over a year. He took off, and Sam felt the tug of Caedmon getting too far. She wasn’t far behind, though. Josh was straight ahead of her. She pulled something down from the wall and tried to stop the stranger chasing them. She heard him grunt when he tripped and smiled in victory.

They reached the stairs and she shoved past Anselm. She was too panicked to recognize the wrongness of the touch. The door was locked. She wondered when it could have possibly gotten locked.

“Just stay back,” Josh warned. He held a hand out, backing into Anselm and keeping her pinned against the door. This time she noticed. Her heart pounded in her chest. Sam felt pulled in two directions. She was scared by the figure advancing on them, and scared about touching Anselm.

Anselm’s fur was rough against her hands and his body solid against her. Josh didn’t seem to care that she was practically on top of his daemon, feeling the most intimate part of his soul. She doesn’t know how he stays so calm. She thinks about each time he had casually brushed his hands over Caedmon when they were younger. How it jolted her to her core, like she had been struck by lightning. How unfamiliar and startling it was, and how uncomfortable it made Caedmon. Anselm and Josh just didn’t seem to care.

The figure hulked closer, face hidden in the shadow of his hood.

“What do you want?” Sam asked. She tried the door again, desperately hoping it would open for her.

“I want to surf the web!” The figure boomed.

“What?” Sam and Josh exchanged confused looks. The figure continued.

“Seriously Josh, would it have killed your parents to get some cell towers up here?” The hood came down revealing the figure's face.

“Chris?” Sam shouted. Beside her Josh started to crack up.

“Oh man that was awesome, bro!”

“That was decidedly not awesome,” Sam protested. She felt her fear give way to irritation. The door behind them opened to reveal a giggling Ashley. Leifel was beside her, looking smug. Adrastos scampered out of Chris’s robe and tackled him. Chris laughed.

“You should have seen the look on their faces,” he told her. Sam frowned, and resisted the urge to stamp her foot.

“Whatever Chris, that wasn’t funny,” she said. She brushed past Ashley, finally escaping Anselm’s touch. Caedmon flew to her and cuddled himself close to her neck. Ashley chased after her, the boys not far behind.

“Sorry Sam, we couldn’t resist,” she apologized.

“It was the perfect opportunity to get back at the most notorious prankster here,” Chris crowed. Josh threw an arm over his shoulder.

“So the student surpasses the master! Nicely done, Cochise.” Sam huffed. She wasn’t mad about the prank. What happened by the door bothered her far more. She needed to go think.

“Okay, I’m going to go and get that bath now,” she announced, “you guys have fun talking to ghosts.”

“Are you sure?” Ashley asked.

“Yeah, this spirit session is gonna be intense,” Chris joked.

“I’m gonna pass, thanks,” Sam said.

“Let us know if you need any help,” Josh teased.

“Ha ha,” she replied and stomped her way up the stairs.

\---------------------------------

Matt held tight to Emily’s hand as they walked away from the lodge. Olesia’s was buried in his pocket and Gargle trotted at Emily’s side.

“Let’s just start this whole weekend over,” he suggested.

“Yeah?” Emily asked. She looked over at him and raised her eyebrows. Matt smiled.

“Yeah, no Mike or Jess. We can focus on you, me and spending some quality time on this beautiful mountain.”

“Mmm, that does sound nice,” Emily agreed.

“So it’s a deal,” he said. They walked farther down, snow crunching under their boots. Matt liked the way the snow looked in Emily’s hair, and how she cuddled close when it was this cold out.

Over their heads, one of the lights went out with a loud pop. Olesia jumped in his pocket, and stuck her head out to see what the problem was. Gargel stilled.

“What was that about?” Emily asked. Matt shook his head.

“I don’t know,” he said. It set him on edge, though. Emily shrugged.

“Let’s get going,” she said and tugged him forward.

“Are you in rush?” He asked, voice teasing.

“Maybe, maybe not,” she sang.

“What’s in the bag anyways?” The trail dipped down, winding through the trees. Matt could barely make out the foot prints from everyone’s previous trek up to the lodge.

“Just some things, you’ll have to find out later.” Emily winked and Matt grinned.

“Oh well if you say it like that…” he started but then he caught sight of something. Up ahead, in one of the trail’s spotlights, was a stick.

“What is that?” Emily asked. She let go of his hand and went closer. Matt followed her, worry eating him up.

It was a pig, a pig head. It was on the spike, dripping blood into the ground. Barbed wire ran through it eyes and around the head, creating grotesque circles. Below it was a note, scrawled in red. Its message was simple, ‘Welcome Back.’

“Jesus Christ,” Matt breathed out. Emily frowned.

“Who would do something like this?” Gargel shifted, becoming a bear, and sticking himself close to Emily’s back. Olesia left Matt’s pocket and made her way to his shoulder, trembling fiercely.

“It has to be Josh,” Matt said, “like a prank just to get back at us.”

“Well it’s not funny,” Emily insisted.

There was a loud screech. It rattled Matt’s bones an sent chills up his spine. The light cut out leaving them in the dark.

“Let’s go,” he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you ever think that the sex talk is so overt in Until Dawn? Like supposedly these are all roughly freshmen in college but they talk a lot about parents and finding time to have sex and doing it in cars and like talking about homecoming and just they sound like they're in high school. Like they wrote the script, realized they couldn't show minors in the game like this and made them college kids. I dunno it's really weird so I changed all of it. 
> 
> I was so excited to have Josh come in! So excited!!! I like am watching a playthrough while I write this and was so relieved when I first heard him talk on screen I like cried. I had rewatched the prologue and chapter one so many times that I was just happy to see him. 
> 
> Next chapter I really start to story diverge a bit, but remember this sticks pretty close to canon. I haven't decided how much to change yet. We'll also definitely get more daemon time now that the characters have mostly split up for good. Writing them during the ensemble scenes is hard, it's so many characters to juggle.
> 
> This is so long so I'll see you guys next time! January I think!


	4. Blessed Socialization

Josh practically danced as he lit candles around the room.

“Just to set the mood you know?” He teased lightly. Chris rolled his eyes but Ashley smiled.

“Of course,” she said. Lefiel was curled in her lap as a housecat, and Anselm and Adrastos, now a squirrel, sat by the fire. None of them were asleep, but they seemed content. Except Anselm’s ears twitched rapidly as Leifel watched him. His legs were tense even though he was sitting. He looked ready to bolt at a moments notice. 

Ashley didn’t catch it, though. 

“So how does this work?” She asked. Chris laid the board on the table, wiping off some grime on its surface.

“Well one of us acts as the medium and then the spirits move the pointer to answer our questions. We all put one finger on to make sure it isn’t just someone moving it by themself.” Josh explained. He turned around.

“Well let’s get started then! I volunteer to be our ‘medium’, and all the power it entails,” Chris declared. 

“Oh, can it Chris,” Ashley scolded.

“Actually, I’m going to go get a drink,” Josh said. Anselm got up, Adrastos falling to the side. 

“Oof,” she huffed. She scampered back over to Chris’s side. Lefeil’s eyes narrowed as he watched Anselm’s back.

“Are you sure?” Ashley asked him. She frowned but Chris waved it off.

“Bring me one will you?” He asked. Josh nodded and disappeared down the stairs. 

“Is he ok?” Ashley asked Chris. Chris shrugged.

“He hasn’t said much. I’ve just been giving him some space,” he told her. She bit her lip. Josh had been one of her closest friends before, the three of them like a team. It hurt that he was so distant now. She couldn’t blame him, she had been a part of the prank that caused Hannah and Beth to go missing. She had hoped that he had opened up to Chris a little bit, but it looked like he hadn’t. 

There was a thump of something hitting the ground.

“Josh?” Ashley called. Chris twisted in his seat to stare in the direction Josh had walked. 

“You ok buddy?” He asked. Josh didn’t answer. There was another thump, closer this time.   
Lefeil tensed in Ashley’s lap. 

“If this is Anselm’s idea of funny I’ll cut him open,” he hissed. Ashley tapped his head. 

“Be nice,” she told him. But she felt similarly. She was done with pranks for right now.   
Another thump, this time from in the room. The candles went out, leaving only the light of the fire. 

“Haha, really funny Josh,” Chris said. Ashley clutched his arm. 

“What if it’s not Josh?” She asked him. There was no way he could be making this noise without them seeing it. And the candles? It felt colder even with the fire roaring. 

“It has to be Josh,” Chris said and rolled his eyes. There was another thump, from the other side of the room. Ashley followed it’s progress as it went down the hall. It stopped when it reached the end.

“Should we follow it?” Lefeil stared at her as if she lost her mind, but Chris shrugged. 

“We might as well, he won’t stop until we catch him anyways.” 

\------------------------------------

“This isn’t funny Jess,” Mike yelled as he clambered over the tree trunk. Camelai scrambled after him.

“Mosca?” She called. They walked forward still calling for them. Unease settled in Mike’s stomach. 

The forest was quiet, and it wasn’t long before they found an abandoned old car. Mike rolled his eyes, convinced Jess was inside.

Camelai bounded over to it. She shifted into a rat and wormed her way inside. 

“It’s empty!” she called. Mike came over and tugged the door open. A mask lay on the seat. Fear trickled down his spine. He picked it up but it was different then the mask from his vision with Ashley. 

“Let’s keep looking,” Camelai suggested. Mike nodded in agreement.

“Jess!” He called again. 

They ventured further into the woods. The long he spent alone the more nervous he got. Camelai was a dog again, sniffing the ground, ears twitching. The snow crunched under their feet, sounding loud in the silence. A bird called in the distance.

“Gah!” A voice shouted, a deer skull jumped out from behind a tree.

“Fuck!” Mike screamed. Camelai growled and clung to his side. The figure started to laugh and dropped the skull. Jess doubled over, clutching her sides. Mosca tumbled from her hood, a small rabbit. He hopped over to Camelai. 

“Gotcha,” he gloated. She sniffed. 

“You should have seen your face!” Jess giggled.

“Oh come on Jess,” Mike cried. He was torn between being relieved she wasn’t hurt and mad that she had led him on. 

“Wait, wait, wait,” she bounded over to a tree and picked up her phone. She laughed even more as they watched a replay. Mike sighed. 

“Okay, you got me,” he allowed. She grinned. 

“Jess two, Mike zero,” she said triumphantly. 

A earth-shattering cry interrupted them. A deer raced down the path, nearly taking them both out. 

“What was that about?” Jess yelled. Mosca had shifted back into a dog as well, matching Camelai. The two daemon stuck together, growling fiercely. 

“A squirrel?” Mike offered. It was a lame excuse, but he had no idea. Did squirrels even make noise? 

“It wasn’t a squirrel,” Jess snapped. The was another cry and a deer bleeted in pain. The group ran towards the sound. 

On the ground was the deer. Its neck was slashed open, and it whimpered. 

“Oh no,” Jess whispered. She stepped forward and Mike shadowed her. 

“Hey,” Mike cooed at the animal, “hey, it’ll be ok.” Camelai licked at the wound. 

“It’s dying,” Jess said. She pulled Mosca closer. Mike nodded.

“Yeah, it’s-” The deer was ripped from his grasp and another wail pierced the air. 

“Run!” Mike took off after Jess, Camelai at his heels. 

They crashed through the underbrush, Mosca leading the way. The neverending cries echoed around them, seeming to come from everywhere. Up ahead the cabin came into view.   
The rushed up the stairs. Jess tripped and crashed onto the deck. Mike stopped and turned to her. Camelai whined.

“Just get the door,” she told him. He didn’t need told twice, he fumbled with the key, shoving it into the door. He got it open just as Jess reached him. They both slammed the door behind them. 

“Oh my god! That definitely wasn’t a fucking squirrel!” Jess said. She collapsed on the couch, breathing heavily. Mike leaned next to her, trying to catch his breath as well. 

“Probably a bear, they can run pretty fast you know,” he said. She glared at him. 

“Well mr. camp encyclopedia can they crash through cabin walls too?” 

“A bear isn’t that dedicated to it’s food,” he said. He decided not to tell her that they probably could if they were, though. Jess frowned at him, and started to dig through her pockets. 

“Fuck, where is my phone?” She dug into the spaces beside her, searching. 

“It probably fell outside,” Mike reasoned, “but you can’t go back out there with that bear.”

“Great, it’s freezing in here and now I’ve lost my phone,” Jess complained. She shrunk farther back into the couch and Mosca curled into her side. Mike moved his hands to her shoulders, rubbing the tension from them. Camelai went to nudge Mosca away.

“I know how we can warm up,” he said, voice husky. She shuddered. 

“How about you start that fire and then we can find out,” she teased. He smiled.

“As you command, my lady.”

\-------------------------------

“You go first,” Ashley said pushing Chris forward. He smirked.

“Scared of some little bumps in the night?” He asked playfully. She frowned at him.

“You’re the big strong man, aren’t you? You go.” He shrugged again and started forward.   
Adrastos shifted into mountain lion, aiming for big and imposing. 

“Let’s go,” she said to Leifel. She flicked him with her tail. Ashley scooped him up when he sniffed in response. 

They went to the end of the hall where it opened up into the lodges library. The wall thumped again as if to confirm the were in the right place. Chris tried not to jump when Ashley grabbed him. 

“Do you think-” Some books flew off the wall. They both yelled in surprise. They landed at their feet, revealing a button on the shelf.

“Holy shit!” Ashley screamed, “should we press it?”

“I mean, I think that’s what we’re supposed to do?” Chris sounded unsure. Still, he reached forward and hit the button. The shelf groaned, and moved back, revealing a hidden room. He went inside. Adrastos squeezed past him.   
It was small, some more books on a shelf and a small desk beneath it.

“Look, it’s Sinisi and Ethraduil!” She nosed at the picture on the table. Chris picked it up. It was a picture of Hannah and Beth with their daemons crowded into the frame. On the back there was threat, written in blood. Chris held back his urge to retch. 

“What did you find?” Ashley asked from the entrance. Chris shook his head and set the picture down. He didn’t think this was a part of Josh’s prank. He knew how much Josh loved the twins. He wouldn’t do this.

“We have to find Josh,” he said. Leifel changed into a monkey and snatched the picture from the table. He gave it to Ashley. She paled as she read it.

“We’ve got to find Josh,” she agreed. They turned to leave and another door slammed shut. 

“Let’s hurry,” Adrastos muttered to Chris. He gave her a reassuring pat. 

“Josh, we find something important!” He yelled out. Ashley shot him a look.

“You still think this is a prank?” She accused. He shrugged.

“Some of it,” he went to go back the way they came, “Josh this is about your sisters!” 

“Chris!” Ashley whacked him.

“What, I’m just trying to tell him about-” There was a familiar yell from downstairs.

“Josh?” Ashley was out the door before Chris could react.

“Wait,” he called after her. Josh screamed again.

They pounded down the stairs. Ashley gets through the kitchen doors before Chris reached the bottom. They slam behind her and Chris hits them hard. 

“Ashley! Josh!” Ashley’s screams joined Josh’s. Chris could feel his heart pound in his chest. 

“Move,” Adrastos ordered. She changed into a grizzly bear and charges. The doors splintered under her force and Chris scrambles in after her. Ashley is on the ground, Leifel still in arms. 

“Ashley!” Chris tried to move forward but there was a man. His face is covered, daemon nowhere in sight.

“Who are you?” Chris asked. The man just pulled back his arm.

There’s a burst of pain, and the last thing Chris sees is Adrastos collapsing next to him. 

\----------------------------

There’s a loud crash of breaking glass from the back room. 

From where they’re curled up in front of the fire, Camelai and Mosca lifted their heads. 

“What is that?” Jess hissed. Mike groaned. 

“I’m sure it’s just the wind,” he tried to reassure her. Jess didn’t budge. 

“Go find out,” she told him. He groaned again and got off of her. Camelai followed him out of the room. 

It was just Mike’s luck. They were finally getting somewhere and then something breaks. 

The back bedroom was cold in just his tank. The wind was blowing in from a shattered window. Jess’s phone laid broken on the ground. 

“Uh, it’s for you,” he yelled back to the living room. 

“What do you mean it’s for me!” Mike held it up so she could see. Jess stomped over to him and snatched it out of his hands. 

“Those fucking bastards!” She shrieked.

“Who?” he asked. Where was she going with this?

“Our sorry ass excuse for friends! Hold on!” She stormed back to the front room. Mike followed after her.

“What are you doing?” She didn’t answer, just ripped the door open.

“Hey assholes, I know you’re hiding out there! This isn’t funny! Mike and I belong with each other and there’s nothing you can do to ruin it! We’re going fuck like rabbits and you fucking perverts can just go ahead and watch! It’s the closest any of you are getting to sex this whole weekend! Enjoy the fucking show!” Jess slammed the door shut. 

“Wow,” he commented, “that was pretty hot.” 

“Oh, shut up Mike,” she stalked in front of the window grumbling. He reached forward.

“Hey-” 

Jess screams when the window behind her shatters. Mike froze, eyes glued on the scene in front of him. Mike froze, eyes glued on the scene in front of him. Something tugged at her, ripping her through the window. The shards dig into her as it tried to pull her through. The glass cracked again and Jess disappeared into the night.

Mosca yelped in pain and took off after her. Camelai shot after him, Mike feeling the tug of her getting too far. This got him to move again.

“Jessica!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I shuffled this chapter a little bit! With everyone starting to split up I'm hoping to focus more on daemon and people interactions. Less people to juggle around in a scene you know?
> 
> I've also changed some stuff to make things a little smoother. Next chapter is also kind of short? It just has a Mike and Chris player section but as you know it's super important! 
> 
> Until next time!


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